A/N: I kind of lied when I said that I still had three more chapters left. This is the second-last one. It's almost over you guys! IT'S ALMOST OVER! Excuse me, I'm just really emotional and even still, we do have a sequel coming up soon! Anyway, I just want to say thanks so much for your continued support with this story. I'll give you the whole speech next chapter but thank you guys so, so much.
Also, I have majorly changed some of the lyrics to the songs, I try to make them work and if you hate them, I'm sorry.
Without further ado, enjoy!
Chapter Twenty Nine: Burning Up Inside
Despite their idiocy, I have to admit that the way the managers handled having to completely forget about doing Faust for this season and instead do Don Juan Triumphant was really impressive.
In accordance to Erik's wishes, Carlotta was given a non-speaking role (I almost kissed him again for that) Piangi was given Don Juan, and Christine was cast as Aminta. The sets were followed exactly as to his design and while I could hear the maestro screaming at how difficult the music was to conduct; they followed it exactly. Nobody was dumb enough to mess with Erik this time around, not after the Carlotta frog incident, which was still laughed at by many a stagehand.
While I do admit that I admire Erik's creativity with Don Juan, I have to say that I honestly didn't like it. I know, I sound like a horrible person, but it was true. The music was a masterpiece, but the story wasn't clever, funny or smart. In a word, it was mean. Get this; Don Juan and his servant Passarino make plans to seduce a young woman by tricking her into thinking that she's really sleeping with someone else. I had no idea how that made sense, as I always thought Don Juan could've just asked her the normal way instead of making a scheme so complicated it would make a cartoon villain blush.
I really don't know why Erik wrote it like that, was it a metaphor for how he had been tricked all his life? Possibly. Was it supposed to represent how men would do anything to get with a woman, even if it made no sense? Most likely. Either way, the opera made me sad, but even still, I told Erik that I would go to support him and didn't mention my confusion at his masterpiece.
My Phantom rented me out box five for the evening and it was on the night of the debut and the closing that I once again found myself in front of the mirror. This time was not, however, a dilemma about what to wear; but more what to do. Was this really my life? What about after tonight? I knew that Erik was planning something that included Christine, but I had no idea what, I couldn't remember any of it.
You have to face it some time, Annika. I told myself. Erik needs Christine. He always had, he always will. You were a nice distraction for a little bit, but it isn't the kind of love that lasts. I nodded to myself in the mirror and stood up, pushing back from the table and heading out of the bedroom. It felt odd outside, like I wasn't going to be back here any time soon after tonight. It really was the point of no return I guessed, as I walked around the lair, memorizing every detail.
I smiled as I saw Erik's little model of the stage directly above our heads. His chandelier was in place where it should have been, and the little figurines of him and Christine were set up on stage for tonight's performance. I furrowed my brow and took a closer look at the box five, another grin coming to my face when I saw the little doll likeness of me sitting there. I opened the box that held all of the other little dolls and dug around until I found what I was looking for.
Down in the bottom of the box was a small doll likeness of Erik in his regular tuxedo. I ran my fingers over his face, which had an incredible resemblance, and gently removed the tiny mask from the side of his face as well as the wig. Erik was a detail nutcase and underneath, the deformity was just as his was, and on his scalp was wisps of his blonde hair.
"Hey Erik, do you think I-" I stopped when I realized he wasn't there. He told me he was going out for a bit and I was cool with it, he would always come back and I'd forgotten he wasn't there. I shrugged, putting the little Erik in the pocket of my black dress that had become my favorite, and reminded myself to ask his permission for me to keep it later.
I wondered what was keeping him so long, as the show would be starting in a few hours, but I dwell on it too much, Erik was always punctual, no matter what. One thing that did calm me was playing Erik's organ. He allowed me to do this and only me after I proved to him that I could take care of it. He knew that I valued his one true love more than my own life, and he knew that when I played, I played seriously.
I sat myself down on the cushioned organ bench and carefully placed my fingers on the keys, closing my eyes and playing the theme from Don Juan. I loved t play the organ, it was such a powerful instrument, it really made me feel much bigger and much better than I really was. It filled me with joy and happiness that could not be matched and it gave me an outlet to any destructive emotions I needed to get rid of.
"Hey girl!" I jerked myself out of my musical fantasy when Sixty skipped into the room.
"How's it hanging, bestie?" I asked in a bland tone and she just smiled.
"Well I don't know, I haven't kissed any guys in the last week!" She exclaimed and my eyes widened.
"You were spying?" I asked, my voice reaching a new octave at the end of my sentence.
"I don't have to spy, I live in your mind, I saw the whole damn thing!" She said in a cheerful voice that was not uncommon with her. "By the way, trying to kill yourself? Not awesome." She said, her tone changing and I held my hands up in surrender.
"Jeez, I'm sorry." I said and she shook her head.
"Whatever. You've got a show to watch soon and your boyfriend is looking at you like you're crazy!" She said in her chipper voice and I cocked an eyebrow.
"What are you-?" I stopped when I turned my head towards the lake to see Erik; soaking to death and panting by the water. He was staring up at me like I was nuts and immediately I shooed Sixty away and ran down the beaten path to the water's edge. "Erik!" I exclaimed and he gave me a 'don't worry about me' face.
"I am fine, Annika. Don't fret, I am unharmed." He reassured but I wasn't buying it.
"What the Hell happened?"I asked when I got close enough to see he had a black eye.
"The young Vicomte wished to duel." He merely said and my jaw dropped.
"You had a fist fight with Raoul?" I exclaimed and he shook his head.
"No, I had a duel with Raoul and he lost. I was distracted for a moment by a third party and he took that chance to assault me." He replied and I gave him a glare.
"Was that third party Christine?" I asked and I didn't hear him say no. "Oh great job! She'll pull out of the play now and all it will be is dancing whores!" I shrieked. Erik gave me a warning glare, telling me to quit while I was still breathing.
"Do not try my patience, Annika. I am not in the mood." I sighed and nodded.
"Okay, I got that. But you need to get the swelling down before something seriously bad happens." I replied and dashed off to get a cold compress. When I returned, I found Erik at his makeup table, his face looking normal again. I eyed him curiously and was about to give him proper Hell for doing that, but a look from him told me to just shut up for once.
"So, what happened?" I asked and Erik sighed.
"I went to the graveyard in hopes of finding Miss Daae, and instead her suitor was waiting, she was merely a clever tool to get me there." He said and let my gaze fall to the ground.
"And what's the plan for tonight?" I questioned. "Has it changed?" Erik turned and shook his head.
"No, my dear. You shall attend the opera with me, in box five, and you will stay there, do not follow me when I leave." He told me and I furrowed my brow.
"Why not?" Where will you be going?" I think my questions angered Erik because he was one his feet in a flash.
"That is none of your business!" He snapped and I shrunk away from him, nodding. Erik looked as though he regretted his anger, and softened his tone and demeanor but it was too late, I had scampered off to the bedroom. I read some book whose title is now unimportant to me until I heard the softest knock possible on the door.
"Come in." I said just as softly and three seconds later, Erik, dressed in his tuxedo and white mask opened the door.
"We should be leaving now." He said and I nodded, standing up. I grabbed my mask for in case anybody looked up and noticed me and walked past him as he held the door for me. "Annika," He began but I cut him off.
"Erik, it's okay, now come on. We're going to be late." I said, brushing past him and heading towards yet another secret passageway within the lair. It was located just behind his organ and lead straight to box five, which I'm pretty sure is how Erik saved me from Buquet the first time.
"Seal my fate tonight, I hate to have to cut the fun short but the joke's wearing thin, let the audience in, let my opera begin!" Erik sang as he pushed a secret button and a panel came loose from behind the organ, revealing a dark passageway. He took my arm and lit a candle so we could see. Just like in the other passageways, it was infested with disgusting rats that had me very on edge, but Erik's arm around my waist calmed me as he lead me to the best seat in the house.
Erik was great with his timing. Minutes after we had sat down, the lights dimmed and the curtain rose. No time was given to the guards stationed below to see if we were even there. I kept my arm around Erik's and squeezed it tighter as the thrilling music began. Halfway into the first verse, I looked down to the audience and smirked. They didn't know what to make of it. Yes, the lyrics were raunchy and the choreography a bit dirty, but it was fun, it was shocking.
Within two seconds of thinking that, I finally got what Erik was trying to do and say with this opera. It wasn't about the story, it was about the controversy and the new way to compose suspenseful music; it was supposed to shock you and take you out of your comfort zone. I looked to Erik, who seemed just as amused with the crowds reaction as I was. I watched the Opera carefully, as well as keeping an eye on the audience and while some made rather loud noises of protest, none stood up and left, they were too entranced.
Halfway through Don Juan's plotting, Erik stood and left without another word. I watched him go sadly, but said nothing as well. I just turned my head back to watch Christine's solo. The poor little brunette looked terrified to be singing up there and for a moment, I almost felt bad for her. Then again, her 'one true love' Raoul didn't seem to care that he was putting her in great danger (or he was too dense to realize it) and in all honesty, I didn't care either. Raoul was an idiot and so was Christine.
I hoped that they would be happy together, living in a perfect house with perfect a wedding and had perfect sex that gave them perfect kids with perfect faces that grew up to have perfect jobs and perfect families of their own and everything would be just perfect, perfect, PERFECT!
After I had gotten over my little freak-out, I settled down to watch the rest of the show. I was on the edge of my seat by the time that Don Juan would fool Aminta, but even from the high distance, I could see that the man who was singing Past the Point of No Return was not Piangi, it was Erik! I knew his rocky yet smooth voice anywhere, and it seemed that ditzy little Christine didn't, for she just kept singing and singing. If she did know, I have to admit, she was one great little actress.
They moved together fluidly, a beautiful dance as they both ascended to the higher part of the set. Just when I thought I had seen everything, Erik began to sing a different song. His voice grew soft and I could barely hear him, but I was still able to make out the words.
"Say I'll be alright, even without you." I strained my ears harder to listen to what he had to sing. "Free me, leave me, you'll survive this too." I don't think I'd ever heard Erik sound so sad. "Say you loved me, but you've learned, what that is." Erik turned to look at her, holding Christine's hand. "Please Christine, for once, tell me the truth. That's all I've ever asked of-" Erik was cut off by the sound of screams. It took me two seconds to realize that Christine had unmasked him in front of everyone.
Mass hysteria reigned supreme for five seconds as Erik gave Christine and angry glare and then drew his sword, turned, and cut the rope keeping the chandler up. As the huge piece of metal and crystal began to shake and swing back and forth, the Phantom kicked a lever, making the two of them drop down below the stage. I stood up, turning towards the secret passage way as the people screamed below me. I turned back to look for one second to see the huge chandelier finally give way and come crashing down on the audience. A flame sparked up from the crash and within seconds, the velvets seats caught fire and all too soon, the Opera house was ablaze.
"The ghost, he attacked me!" I heard Piangi exclaim as I headed towards my secret exit.
"Wait, girl, you promised Erik!" Sixty shouted from behind me and I ignored her.
"Promise or no promise, I won't stay here to die!" I shrieked, but turned to find that Sixty was already gone. I ran as fast as my dress would allow me down the passageway. I heard the voices of Christine, Raoul and especially Erik before I saw them.
"THIS IS THE POINT OF NO RETURN!" I silently slid open the panel, shaking on the inside. Erik sounded so angry, so inhumanly angry. I was afraid of him, and I was never afraid of him before. My eyes widened at the strange sight as I ripped off my mask. Erik was standing knee deep in the lake, with Christine, who was on the shore and wearing the wedding dress that was on the mannequin that I glowered at for so long. Raoul was tied to the gate that came down to cut off the lake from the lair with a noose around his neck. He wouldn't last long with the rope pulled so tight and even if I didn't like the Vicompte at all, I still found my voice to defend him.
"Erik, no!" I shouted and ran towards the lake shore. His eyes flew to me and were wide with shock. He stared at me as I raced towards the water's edge.
"Annika. Leave, get out of here!" He ordered and I shook my head.
"No." I said in my most confident voice.
"Annika. Go now, I do not want you to see this." He said in a low, dangerous voice. Despite my fear I shook my head.
"You don't want me to watch you murder someone in cold blood?" I asked and his mouth opened as if to say something but he never did. I stepped into the water, not caring if my dress got wet. "Erik, you want to shield me from the monster that you make yourself out to be. You are not evil, you are not bad, but you believe it because people say it is so." I told him, taking a few more steps towards him.
"Annika, I-" I cut Erik off with a look.
"Don't. Please, just don't. This isn't what you want." I said, my voice cracking as tears pricked my eyes. "What will this get you? What will you have to gain?" I asked but he didn't answer me. "She doesn't love you. You told her to tell you the truth and she did, she doesn't love you, but I still do, I always have." Erik stared at me like I was mad for a moment. "I am not Christine, but, you can have me. If it makes you happy, you can have me." Christine gaped at me as if she couldn't believe that I just said that.
"How?" Erik asked and for a moment, I was confused. "How can you love me, after what I have done?" He sounded so hurt, so angry, and yet just as scared as I was.
"You once said that I had done what no one else could; I made you feel human." My voice was soft, but loud enough for everyone to hear what I had to say. "Well, despite all you have ever done, you make me feel human too. You took my hand and led me out into the light and showed me your world and all it had to offer. That is why I love you; because you made me see you." Tears were flowing freely down my face by the time I was done speaking and I found myself standing not an inch away from Erik.
"Annika." I supposed he didn't mean it to come out like a strangled question, but it did.
"And now that I've seen, I never want to be blind again." This time, it was Erik who closed the distance between us and swept me into a long, passionate kiss. He was in tears as well by the time we pulled away and he kept an arm around my waist to keep me from falling over, just as I kept my hands on his chest to keep him from doing the same.
"I love you, Annika Walters, and if it makes you happy, you can have me as well." I flung my arms around his neck, burying my face into his shoulder as I sobbed uncontrollably. I had hoped and dreamed and wished that he would say those three little words to me for so long that now, it was just too much.
"I love you, I love you, I love you." I must've said it a thousand times before I regained composure of myself and dared to look him in the eye again. All I could see was him as I hugged him tightly for what felt like forever. But it was all over in less than two minutes. Erik snapped his head to the side and he pulled me closer to him in fear. The mob was coming.
"Go." He said, looking to Christine and then to Raoul. "Go now and never speak of what has happened here." Erik made quick work of the noose around Raoul's neck, loosening it and setting the young fop free. Christine rushed to him, pressing kisses to his cheeks while Erik raised the gate.
"Take the boat." I said the the brunette, who nodded. I noticed Erik running up to the bedroom and turned to follow him when Christine grabbed my arm.
"Are you sure, Annika?" She asked me and all I did was smile.
"Yes Christine, I am quite sure." I replied.
"Then give him this for me." She said, letting go of my arm to pry the wedding ring off of her finger. I took it and gave her one last good bye before I turned and raced towards the bedroom, following Erik. I opened the door to see him gathering the important things, like his mask and such. I also noticed that he was leaving behind his Persian monkey.
"Aren't you taking him?" I asked and he shook his head.
"No, we must leave now and it is too heavy." He replied and I nodded. I decided not to grab any of my dresses or trinkets because they would weigh us down and in the end, all Erik took before exiting the bedroom was his mask and Christine's ring. Erik snaked an arm around my waist as we descended to the main level of the lair to see Christine and Raoul leave in the boat.
"Here." I said giving Erik the ring. He kissed me on the forehead in thanks before looking at the ring one last time and with that, he threw it out over the lake and it sunk like a rock.
"You alone give life to what I write." Erik sang, smiling at me in a disbelieving way. "It's just begun, the Music of the Night." I smiled right back at him as he grabbed a blunt object and ran over to the mirrors that hung on the far wall. He drew back the heavy red curtains and hit one of the reflective surfaces with such a force that it shattered.
He did this to each one until he came to the last and with a well-timed swing, the glass broke away to reveal a secret passage. He made it safe for me and then took my hand, leading me down the darkened passageway.
We were half way there when I heard it.
"Persis, where are you going?" My heart hammered in my chest. It was her. I stopped dead and Erik looked to me with concern.
"What is it, my dear? What have you forgotten?" He asked and I shook my head, drawing him into a kiss that made my head spin.
"I have to go, Erik. She's calling me. But please don't think that I don't love you, and I swear on my life that I will never leave you." I told him, turning on my heel and walking back the way I came. I looked back to see him standing there and he wouldn't escape unless he kept going. "Go!" I shouted to him and he stood still. "If you love me, you'll go!" Then I turned and walked back down the passageway, never looking back.
"Sycamore." I said bitterly as I reentered the lair. My breath left my body the moment I laid eyes on the horrible sight. Sycamore was there, floating on the water and behind her, an army of rats. Beside her stood Symmetry; her red hair was black and her dress was now tattered she looked like a horrible mess. Erik-bot was there as well, and his flesh looked as though it was rotting off on both sides now.
"Ah Persis, my darling, I am so glad to see you." Sycamore squealed in her high, girlish voice.
"And why is that?" I snapped, making her giggle.
"Because we can't have fun without you!" I screamed when I felt her scratch on my brain. The pain was unbearable as she dragged her claws through my skin and I though I would die until the hurting subsided.
"Leave her alone!" I turned my head to see Sixty standing there, her fists clenched. Beside her was Shock, along with her daughters Jinx ans Scissors. We were hopelessly outnumbered and my hope began to fade.
"I can't do this." I Whispered. "I can't, I'm going to fail." As if an answer to my prayers, a voice called out to me from the roof above.
"Is that really all I ever taught you my dear, for if it is, it is I that has failed." A smile broke out onto my face as Goblin swooped down from the ceiling and landed beside me. I wanted to hug him and smack him at the same time, but we had bigger fish to fry.
"I hope you've got your plan ready."I heard Shock whisper to me and I looked to her in, well... shock.
"What?" I asked and she looked surprised.
"Your plan, remember?" Sixty asked me and I shook my head.
"No, Sycamore's the one with the plan!" I said and Shock shook her head.
"No, Annie baby, you are the one with the plan, Sycamore is weak here, you brought us here to defeat her!" She told me and I shook my head.
"I didn't!" Their faces fell. "I don't know what's going on here, but Shock, you told me about her plan!" I said to her and she shook her head.
"No Annika, this was all your plan, you just didn't know it." I looked back out to Sycamore, who was cackling with glee.
"Oh Persis, I should have known you would be too stupid to try to stop me! You belong to me." I shook my head.
"No, this was my plan all along, you are the one who is powerless, you are the one who sent your spies after me to try to find out what was going on because you were afraid." I said in a steely voice. "You built a robot to try and distract me but now I see everything. This was always my plan I just didn't notice it." I took a defensive stance, walking towards the water.
"Persis-" I shut her up with a dirty look.
"No. Shut up." I commanded. "Get out of my mind." I whispered and she looked to me in fear.
"What?" She asked and I let a triumphant smirk play on my lips.
"GET OUT OF MY MIND!" I shrieked as Sixty lunged forward, flashing her nails and digging them in Erik-bots face. Goblin took off into the air, cracking the spines of the millions of rats that flooded towards us. A strong gust of wind hit me from behind and I turned to see Shock stabbing at the rats with such a force that it knocked them away.
My eyes were only on Sycamore, who was backing away from me in fear. This made me gleeful as I began to walk towards her. She stumbled on the carcass of one of her followers and hit the ground hard, crying out as I towered over her. I picked up a sharp rock from the bottom of the lake and held it above my head.
"Goodbye." I whispered as I brought my arm down, driving the rock into her heart. She screamed and black blood gushed from her mouth and ears, making me wrinkle my nose in disgust. She stretched a pale hand up towards me and gripped my throat, chocking me and dragging me down beneath the water with her.
The last thing I saw was the fire in her eyes go out as the darkness surrounded me.
